Clemson Men’s Basketball Team to Play Host to Maryland on Sunday

Feb. 16, 2007

Series Notes Overall: Maryland leads 85-46 at Clemson: Clemson leads 33-25 at Littlejohn: Clemson leads 20-18 at Neutral: Maryland leads 10-4 at Maryland: Maryland leads 50-9 In 2006-07: MD 92-87 at MD, 1-13-07 Streaks: Clemson won 4 of 5, 2 in row at Clemson; Maryland won 14 of 18

Quick Facts • Point guard Vernon Hamilton had a double-double at Wake Forest. He had 21 points and 10 rebounds, the second double-double of his career, his first since a December 30, 2003 game vs. Boston College. He also moved into 10th place in ACC history in that game and now has 248.

• Hamilton’s top four scoring games this year (three with 21 and one with 19) have all been in ACC road games. He is Clemson’s top scorer in ACC games with a 14.7 average and has scored in double figures in nine consecutive games.

• James Mays had four assists at Wake Forest and now has 70 for the season. His last assist at Wake Forest set a Clemson record for assists in a season by a frontcourt player. The old record was 69 by Andrius Jurkunas in 1999-00.

• Sunday will be the six-year anniversary of Clemson’s 75-65 win over #1 ranked North Carolina, one of just two wins over the number-one ranked team in the nation. Clemson was coming off a Valentine’s Day loss at NC State. It was also the day of the Daytona 500.

• James Mays has jumped into the team scoring lead with a 13.4 average. Mays had 22 points and 15 rebounds in the first game with Maryland, the only game in his career he has had at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in the same game. The rebound total is his career high.

• Mays is Clemson’s leading scorer overall, Vernon Hamilton is the top scorer in ACC games (14.7) and K.C. Rivers is the top scorer in home games (13.7).

• Maryland won the first meeting between the two teams on January 13, a game that ended Clemson’s 17-game winning streak. It also ended a four-game Clemson winning streak in the series.

• Clemson freshman center Trevor Booker is shooting 59.6 percent from the field this season. He is just short of the Clemson freshman record of 60.6 by Sharrod Ford in 2001-02. Booker has made 12 of his last 16 shots from the field. His 53 blocks rank fourth in Clemson history among freshmen.

• James Mays has made 14 of his last 16 free throws over three games and has brought his season free throw percentage in ACC games to 70 percent.

• Clemson has five ACC regular season games remaining. Heading into this weekend, those teams were a combined 31-26 in ACC play.

• Oliver Purnell needs one victory to reach 20 wins this season. It would be the fourth different school where he has recorded a 20-win season. There would be a bit of irony if he achieved the 20-win total against Maryland because this last assistant coaching stop before he started his head coaching career was at Maryland.